Super Bowl XLVI® Keep Drunk Driving Out of Your Game Plan

The Wareham Police Department congratulates the New England Patriots, as they head to Indianapolis, Indiana, for Super Bowl XLVI® at Lucas Oil Stadium. “Along with the New York Giants, we want to pass our safety message to everyone who will be watching the game this weekend, that real Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk,” said Traffic Safety Officer Bryan Whalen. This message is being supported by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the National Football League (NFL), and Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Coalition.

“We ask that everyone who plans to drink during the Super Bowl, please call the right play and pass your keys to a designated driver,” said Officer Whalen. “Getting caught driving while impaired will earn you a costly penalty from local law enforcement and may even result in a turnover of your driving privileges.”

The Super Bowl is one of America’s biggest and most entertaining national sporting events as friends and families gather to socialize and watch the big game.

If you are hosting a Super Bowl party:

Make sure all of your guests designate their sober drivers before kick-off or help arrange ride-sharing with sober drivers.

Find unique ways to reward the designated drivers at your party

Give them a great spot to watch the game.

Whatever non-alcoholic beverage they are drinking, make sure their glass is always full.

Let them have the first pass at the buffet table.

Make sure their cars are easy to access when it is time to start driving people home.

Serve plenty of food.

Offer a variety of non-alcoholic choices like soft drinks, juice, and water.

Serve one drink at a time and serve measured drinks.

Only serve alcohol to guests over 21 years of age.

Determine ahead of time when you’ll stop serving alcohol, such as one hour before the end of the party or at the end of the third quarter of the game (just like NFL stadiums) and begin serving coffee and dessert at that time.

Add the numbers of local cab companies into your phone so they are just one touch away.

Take appropriate steps to prevent anyone from driving while impaired.

Be prepared for guests to spend the night if an alternative way home is not available.

If you are attending a Super Bowl party or watching at a sports bar, restaurant or a friend’s house:

Designate your sober driver before the party begins and leave your car keys at home if you plan to drink.

Find unique ways to reward the designated drivers when you are out at a bar or restaurant

Offer to be the designated driver the next time you go out.

Cover the cost for parking or even pay for a tank of gas.

Whatever non-alcoholic beverage they are drinking, make sure their glass is always full.

Pick up the tab for their food and drink.

Before you go out, add the numbers for local cab companies in your cell phone so if you find yourself in need of a ride, it is just one touch away

The Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk message supports the league-wide designated-driver campaign called Responsibility Has Its Rewards. Celebrating its ninth season in 2011, the campaign encourages fans to participate in designated-driver programs supported by beer and concessionaire companies at every NFL stadium nationwide. Throughout the season, more than 175,000fans made the responsible decision to be designated drivers. Those fans now have a chance to earn the ultimate reward – a trip to Super Bowl XLVI® in Indianapolis, IN at Lucas Oil Stadium.